Roulette is one of the world’s most beloved casino games. A simple game of chance, players place bets on which number or grouping of numbers they think the ball will land after spinning the wheel. Though seemingly easy at first glance, roulette offers surprising depth for experienced gamblers and can yield significant returns with proper strategy in play.

Roulette was first developed by French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal during his attempt at developing a perpetual motion machine in 17th century France. Not until 100 years later did its popularity increase exponentially – its modern form comprises a segmented cylinder featuring red and black pockets as well as one or two green ones (depending on which version of roulette you play) featuring random ball spins, where one or more colored pockets may or may not appear; its odds depend on whether an odd or even number appears when landing within one of those colored pockets; its subsequent return spin around is what gives it its unique appeal as bettors try their luck against betting opponents before spinning again around this wheel before landing – making every spin as unpredictable as the last!

A betting mat is used to mark out all the various bets available in a roulette table, while chips are placed onto each spot to complete each bet. The exact placement of chips indicates what kind of bet you are placing: straight bet on one number only, split bet between two adjacent numbers or street bet involving three consecutive or four adjoining numbers or corner bet covering four adjoining numbers; there may also be bets based on color of number, odd or even numbers and high/low number combinations.

Once all bets have been placed, the dealer spins the roulette wheel to select a winner and clear away losing bets; winning ones get paid out; however it is important that any winnings from previous bets should not be used as future bets as this would decrease chances of victory and increase house edge.